Best Travel Insurance Plans for Road Trips
Updated: 2 Aug 2026
Written byAlevin K Chan
Freelance Contributor
⚡ Quick Answer
| Product Name | Overseas medical expenses |
|---|---|
| Allied World Travel Protector Plan 1 | S$200,000 |
| MSIG Premier Plan | S$1,000,000 |
For the most part, travel insurance plans do a good job of covering you against the common risks of overseas travel. But if you are planning to take a road trip, there are some things that travel insurance might not cover you for.
Hence, you'll likely need to purchase the relevant add-ons to get the coverage you need. Here's how you can properly insure yourself when going on your long-awaited road trips, complete with car-karaoke and HTHT sessions.
Decision Guide
1. Best Travel Insurance Plans for Road Trips
Driving across the border or renting a car overseas remains one of the most popular ways for Singaporeans to travel. However, in 2026, the travel insurance for road trips you choose must account for stricter regulations and higher rental costs.
The Malaysia VEP & RFID Requirement
If you are driving your own Singapore-registered vehicle into Malaysia, ensure your Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) and RFID tag are fully updated and linked to your Touch 'n Go eWallet. While insurance doesn't cover VEP fines, the best plans now offer 24-hour roadside assistance in West Malaysia, which is crucial if your car breaks down in remote areas.
Rental Vehicle Excess
When you rent a car in places like Australia or Iceland, the "excess" (the amount you pay out of pocket if you crash) can reach S$5,000. Most travel insurance for road trips only covers up to S$1,000 of this excess.
- Top Pick: MSIG TravelEasy Premier offers one of the highest rental excess covers in the market (up to S$1,500), helping to bridge that gap.
2. Best Travel Insurance for Water Sports
From surfing in Bali to scuba diving in the Maldives, water sports are a travel staple. However, "leisure" water sports and "hazardous" ones are treated differently.
- Scuba Diving: In 2026, almost all Singapore insurers require you to be PADI/NAUI certified or diving with a licensed instructor. Standard depth limits are capped at 30 meters.
- Rainfall Protection: A new trend in 2026 is Rainfall Coverage. Plans like Singlife Travel provide a payout (approx. S$150) if your outdoor water activities are rained out for more than 50% of your trip duration.
- Equipment Coverage: If you own an expensive surfboard or diving gear, look for a plan with "Sports Equipment" riders. FWD and Etiqa allow for higher sub-limits for personal equipment damage.
3. Best Travel Insurance for Extreme Sports
"Extreme sports" usually refer to activities with a higher risk of serious injury, such as skydiving, paragliding, or mountaineering.
Trekking and Altitude Limits
If you are planning to hike Mount Kinabalu or the Himalayas, pay close attention to the altitude limit.
- FWD typically excludes trekking above 3,000 meters.
- Income Insurance is often preferred for hikers as their policies generally cover trekking up to 6,000 meters (non-competitive), which covers most popular peaks in Asia.
Aerial Activities
Activities like skydiving and bungee jumping are now standard inclusions in "Elite" or "Premier" tiers of most plans but are often excluded from "Lite" or "Basic" tiers. Always check the General Exclusions section for the term "Aerial Activities."
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Before You Compare
Confirm your VEP and RFID setup
Required for driving your own car into Malaysia, linked via Touch 'n Go eWallet.
Check the rental vehicle excess cap
Rental excess overseas can reach S$5,000; most plans only cover up to S$1,000.
Verify your diving or trekking certification
Diving needs PADI/NAUI certification; trekking has altitude limits that vary by insurer.
Check which tier includes aerial activities
Skydiving and bungee jumping are usually excluded from Lite or Basic tiers.
Best Travel Insurance Plans for Road Trips
Product | Overseas Medical Expenses | Accidental Death / Permanent Disability Benefit | Rental Vehicle Excess |
|---|---|---|---|
 | S$1000000 | S$400000 | - |
S$200000 | S$150000 | - | |
S$1000000 | S$500000 | - | |
S$1000000 | S$500000 | - | |
Unlimited | S$500000 | - | |
S$1000000 | S$100000 | - |
So, rental car insurance really should be considered separately, but does that mean that travel insurance policies are completely unrelated? Not exactly.
You see, collision, loss or damage waivers (CDW/LDW) provided by rental companies may still include an excess charge, which is payable out of your own pocket. While you can opt for a "super cover" from the rental agency to reduce this to zero, these are often expensive—costing up to S$30–S$50 per day.
However, with a travel insurance for road trips that offers rental excess cover, you can claim back that out-of-pocket expense. Of course, car rental excess cover alone isn’t the only thing you should consider. You should also look at roadside assistance and personal liability.
Two standout plans for 2026 are Allianz Travel Insurance and Singlife Travel Insurance, offering the following car rental excess cover:
- Allianz Travel Insurance: Up to S$1,500
- Singlife Travel Insurance: Up to S$2,500
Best road trip travel insurance: Allianz Travel Insurance
- Medical Coverage: For overseas medical and dental expenses, you can claim up to S$1,000,000, while personal accident covers you up to S$200,000.
- Trip Cancellation or Disruption: For travel inconveniences like trip cancellation or disruption, you can claim up to S$10,000.
- Rental Vehicle Excess: Allianz remains a top contender for road trippers, providing up to S$1,500 coverage when you purchase their Platinum plan.
- Trip Delay or Baggage Delay: For travel delays, you can get up to S$1,600. Baggage lost, damaged, or stolen can be claimed up to S$5,000, while baggage delays allow up to S$1,000.
Bonus mention: Singlife Travel Insurance
- Medical Coverage: Singlife offers S$500,000 for accidental death and permanent disability, and up to unlimited coverage for overseas medical expenses—the highest medical protection available in 2026.
- Rental Vehicle Excess: Their Prestige plan offers a market-leading S$2,500 in rental vehicle excess, making it one of the best travel insurance plans for road trips in high-cost regions like Europe or the USA.
- Trip Cancellation for Any Reason: You can claim up to S$20,000 for standard trip cancellations. Uniquely, Singlife includes a "Cancel for Any Reason" benefit (up to S$5,000), allowing you to recoup costs even for non-medical changes in plans.
- Trip Delay or Baggage Delay: Claim S$100 for every 6 hours of travel delay (up to S$2,000). For baggage, claim S$200 per 6-hour delay overseas and S$150 per 6-hour delay in Singapore (up to S$2,000 total).
Conclusion: Always check with your insurer
The tricky thing about travel insurance is working out what events and occurrences your plan will actually cover, and under what circumstances.
This can be further complicated by the fact that different insurers have different exclusions, which means that between two similar-looking plans, maybe only one will give you the cover you actually need.
But fret not, confirming whether a particular travel plan is right for you is relatively simple. Just contact the insurance company, tell them exactly what you will be doing on your trip, and ask them to confirm if the plan will cover you. They’ll tell you yes or no – and suggest alternatives or add-ons in the latter scenario.
And while you’re at it, might as well ask them if they allow double indemnity; i.e., whether you can make a claim on your plan if you are also claiming against your licensed guide, travel agent or relevant third party.
Yes, all that sounds like quite a bit of work just for a holiday, but the clearer you are about your coverage, the more you will be able to enjoy your road trip, water sports or extreme sports holiday.
About the author
Alevin K Chan
Alevin loves helping people make good money decisions. He briefly flirted with being a Financial Advisor, but quickly realised writing about personal finance is the better way to go.